Ottoman Political Thought during World War I

Abstract

This chapter explores how World War I brought about deep changes in Ottoman social, political, and intellectual life. International comparative studies and Turkish historiography, however, have neglected the intellectual heritage of the four long years. It has been widely assumed that no significant intellectual work was produced during World War I, as the Empire struggled for life and was preoccupied with its own survival, and that modern Turkish culture, national identity, and political ideology were shaped merely within the post-1923 context. The chapter shows how wartime experiences, expressed in propaganda works and political decisions, altered the ways in which Ottoman political leaders and intellectuals saw their state, society, and politics.